Sagna felt unprepared to face Liverpool after Paris attacks

Manchester City defender Bacary Sagna does not believes he was fully prepared to play in the 4-1 Premier League defeat to Liverpool following the Paris terror attacks.

France international Sagna played for his country against Germany at the Stade de France on November 13 – a match that was targeted by three suicide bombers as part of a co-ordinated terrorist assault across six locations in the French capital that killed 130 people.

Sagna and his international colleague Eliaquim Mangala were both named in Manuel Pellegrini’s back four against Liverpool having remained with the France squad that played England in an emotional friendly at Wembley on Tuesday.

Both Sagna and Mangala were highly culpable in an error-strewn defensive display for City, the latter opening the scoring with an own goal as Liverpool’s irresistible attacking play saw them race into a 3-0 lead after 33 minutes.

Asked by reporters if he had been ready to take on Jurgen Klopp’s side, Sagna said: “Mentally I was. Physically I believed I was. But I wasn’t. I tired quite quickly and didn’t have as much power as I [am] used to.

“Personally it’s not my best week. But it’s life, it’s life and there’s nothing you can do about it.

“It’s part of the past now and just have to keep your head up. It was not easy to be part of that event [in Paris].

“It was quite difficult. We started the game really well but we conceded a goal quite quickly and we were both involved in the first goal so it’s never easy.

“We had to keep our head up and that’s what we are going to do in the future.”

Sagna thought he was fouled by Philippe Coutinho in the build up to Liverpool’s opener and felt it also affected a poor individual performance that made him feel “guilty”.

“I don’t want to blame the team,” he said. “I look at myself first and I was bad.

“I don’t want to blame another guy. The best way to look forward is to look at your own performances. I was bad.

“I feel guilty and after that I had to keep my head up and I was too upset. I was thinking about what happened [in the game] and I shouldn’t have.”

Sagna and Mangala have become firm friends since the latter moved to City from Porto last year.

On his compatriot’s performance, Sagna added: “It was quite difficult [for him too]. We started the game really well but we conceded a goal quite quickly and we were both involved in the first goal so it’s never easy [after that].

“We had to keep our heads up and that’s what we are going to do in the future.”